


Have hope in the sunrise

by 23102001



Category: K-pop, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bodyguard Romance, Don't @ Me, I used a kingdom name generator for the names, Kings & Queens, M/M, Romance, bodyguard jisung, king minho, this may or may not end up being cringey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-04-22 01:58:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14298267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/23102001/pseuds/23102001
Summary: The heir to the throne had gone missing 3 days before the coronation, and amidst the turmoil of the nation his younger brother, Minho, was selected to be the next king to both the capital Kingdom and Empire. And so they became vulnerable, or would become vulnerable according to the lesser Kingdoms- whom wanted nothing more that make the king submit and allow them to take over. Shall we say that Minho had other plans. But first, he needed to get himself a trustworthy royal bodyguard to protect him, courtesy of Chan's advice.





	1. A fallen king

The goblet had the weight of a thousand tonnes; gold, silver, rubies, diamonds… you name it, all etched and gilded on intricate, dainty designs that seemed to be delicate enough to rub off with the pads of one’s fingertips.

It was lifted cautiously, the four fingers that did so fervently keeping their grip on the stem. The same hands that held the sceptre and orb a few hours previous, the same nervous hold on them as well. Minho knew full well that he did not deserve this position, neither did he want it. He was one to listen to people’s problems, not resolve them. That was meant to be for his brother- his wonderful, handsome, dashing, and kingly elder brother. His demise had been unfortunate, uncertain too. He was pronounced missing 3 days before the coronation; he had gone hunting and never returned, only his arrow and bow having been found near the riverbed, the trashing water leading people to assume that he had drowned, that their beloved crown prince had been defeated by the unforgiving waters of their national river.

Minho had been thrown into the mix as the next crown prince of the Ruby Empire and Tirethian Kingdom, his brother having been unmarried and childless meant that he had no choice. The blizzard of celebrations and tears had whisked him up in something that he could not escape from: the unbearable responsibility of being the king.

Having only been 20 years old, the world of adulthood seemed to foreign for him, the feeling still hadn’t caught on when he was being robed in the finest furs and fabrics, he went along numbly when the crown was placed upon his own crown, stabilised by impromptu revamps because it was originally meant for Minho’s brother, whose crown was much larger and fit for purpose than Minho’s own. Everything had only come to view after the crowd cheered boisterously in the cathedral; some cheering, some wailing. He had been put in charge of a whole nation, and his brother was dead- supposedly that is. The uncertainty of everything had weighed him down, his usual light steps had become heavy and trembling. His velvet and for cape, adorned with countless and unnecessary ornaments had mimicked what his brother’s dead body would have felt like: unsettlingly stoic, the rhythm of life having left it long ago.

The afterparty had only made everything worse for Minho had to prepare a speech, someone who was as introverted as he was had to lead an unprepared speech. Well, his unpreparedness was prepared for beforehand by the royal advisors, whom scoffed at Minho’s mere existence.

The goblet that had been lifted before, had been gently placed back onto the table of the feast after the thoroughly moving and enthralling speech that Minho/his advisors had made, the drunken hooligans hollering till their voices were sore. Suddenly, the large mahogany dining throne of his felt too small l- he was the elephant in the room and an uncomfortable one at that.

“Terribly sorry about the death of your bother- I mean brother- my lord.”

It was Lord Jinyoung Park, the king of one of the smaller kingdoms that had surrounded Minho’s own. A terribly vain character whom had lived for the sole purpose of capitalism, a man with appalling manners and a haughty attitude that could annoy anyone within a 10-mile radius. Minho took offence to the snide remark about his unfortunately deceased brother yet gave a sickening smile, standing up and dusting his robes off (though there was no dust) to give a proper greeting. He may hate King Park, but Minho was not so stupid enough to let his personal opinions interfere with business relations.

“And what business do you have with me Lord Park?” Minho inquired sternly, voice forcibly loud to intimidate his peer. It had worked by the seemingly meek change in attitude of King Park, who shifted with unease as Minho’s heavily dressed arm slung over his shoulder. Minho was quiet, but that did not mean that he was weak. His elder brother was the greatest warrior, of course Minho would have to follow suit.

“I was hoping to propose a proposal.”

Minho gave a deriding laugh.

“And what is that proposal that you were hoping to propose?” Minho teased, voice returning to its usual tone, a slight lilt of mockery included. “And might I say, you look as peculiarly dashing as always. Is that a peahen feather cape? My, my, how utterly unique!”

“You flatter me, my lord. And yes, it is peahen feather. Peacock feather seemed too mainstream for my tastes, so I had a one-of-a-kind model made specifically for me, it’s lined wi-“

“And so, that proposal that you had proposed.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me sire. I am truly grateful for your mercy upon me.-"

The horrible attempts of adulation made Minho sick in the stomach, he toes curling in repulsion. Unable to control his distaste anymore, he rolled his eyes and shook his head in disproval.

“Praises have no effect on me Lord Park, you of all people should know that.”

It was true, Lord Park had once been a fencing teacher for the Lee athelings when they were much younger, always fervently attempting to get the boys to persuade the King to make him an advisor. Minho’s elder brother practically revelled in the praise, chest puffing out in pride whenever he got complements. On the other hand, Minho had always been warier, his quick wit enabled him to sense the older man’s ulterior motives. So, whenever he got praised, he had just nodded along, paying no heed to the words said to him and carrying on with the rest of his day.

Eventually, Lord Park had enough and resigned from his position (for which Minho was thankful for as he as an absolutely dreadful teacher) and went off to another kingdom, somehow managing to woo the princess and marrying her. After their King had died, the elder rothers also became victims to an unknown disease that had killed them instantly, causing Jinyoung Park to be where he was now- The King of the Bidour Kingdom, home to the finest fabrics and silks known to man.

Under Lord Park’s rule, the Bidour Kingdom had become more capitalist than it had ever been: The taxes on the textiles had risen by a startling 7% over the 6 years for which their king had ruled, upsetting the surrounding kingdoms a great deal as well as Minho’s own. His father had been too lenient upon Lord Park, as he had previously been the favourite mentor to his sons. Minho and brother had promised each other that they would not be so kind once the elder had come to power.

“W-Well, my lord. That is true, however I do believe that you have some sense of loyalty towards me for the many years that I have worked as your mentor.”

“Agree to disagree, but carry on my good man.”

“Sire! You wound me greatly.”

“All in good jest.”

 

“Of course, my lord, I am at your mercy after all. I was hoping if you would do me a great favour, since your brother and father have deceased, I thought I could use this opportunity to ask to become an advisor. I have known you for years my lord, no one else would be suited for the position than me- “

“And what if I refuse?”

“Excuse me, my lord?”

“I refuse your request Lord Park, for someone who uses the untimely deaths of my family as an excuse is not even worthy of my attention; let alone my mercy. You are most unsuited to be a royal advisor.”

“But Sire!”

“No more excuses Lord Park, I wish to hear no more of this nonsensical idea. Do not make me dethrone you as my first official act as king.”

“You cannot refuse this! I shall raise my taxes even more; your empire will not have clothes!”

“Threaten me so and I shall remove you of your position this instant, you are dismissed.”

“Minho!”

“Guards Felix and Changbin! Accompany this man back to his home, ensuring that he is always monitored, message me through the looking glass before asking for permission for anything. You will be greatly appreciated and rewarded. Also, do not listen to his praises or bribes, this man has a way with his words I must tell you.”

“As you wish, my lord.” The guards replied, spontaneously. They gave a slight smirk afterwards as they dragged Lord Park away from the celebration chamber. The man thrashed and kicked, but was stopped the guards gently poking a knife in his back. They too had something against said man. Minho sighed and sunk back into his dining throne, enveloping himself in his warm robe as he relaxed. The had a large jug of beer and sighed again.

“You’re adapting better than I thought you would.” A gentle hand placed on his shoulder alerted Minho, but he soon relaxed. It was only Chan Bang, or Chris as he called him. The childhood friend of Minho’s and the son of executive royal advisor.

“Ah, Chris, it’s only you. And, thank you, I guess?”

“You wound me greatly, but yeah, it is only me.”

“Oh, shush you! You’re glad too are you not? That pain in the arse has left.”

“I am very glad Minho, much like everyone in the castle, apart from your father, utterly despised that scum bag. I am very proud that you have ridiculed him so. Sadly, I bear some more unfortunate news.”

“Not again Chris, I was only crowned a few hours ago. Spare me I beg of you.”

“Stop whining you large, sad sack of salty sea urchins. You’re the king of an entire empire now, as well as the governor of the largest kingdom in said empire, deal with it.”

Minho groaned childishly, earning a slap on the back of the head from the other noble man. He winced and pouted, once again being mocked dramatically afterwards. Chris rolled his eyes in jest and sat down to the side of Minho’s chair, a deep sigh escaping his lips as the atmosphere washed over with the waters of sombreness.

“This is serious Minho, it is a matter regarding your safety as well as the throne’s.”

“As reluctant as I may be, please do go on.”

“When your brother went missing- ”

“He’s dead Chan.”

“That’s only an assumption, but continuing: when your brother went missing from the hunt, his personal royal guard went missing as well.”

A twinge of sadness hit Minho’s heart at those words, the lachrymose expression of his dear friend distressed him very much. Chris had an affinity for said royal guard, Woojin if Minho correctly remembered, but the young king decided to leave it be. Most people were not as… unique as himself.

“Thus, meaning that you are currently unprotected.”

“Which is a problem because...?”

“Minho Lee, you may have learnt alongside your brother during battle practice, but you cannot protect yourself from danger. We need to get you a new personal protector, a new and trusted personal royal guard.”

Minho heaved a silent whine.

“Fantastic!” He exclaimed sarcastically, “So I assume the search will commence tomorrow? Knowing you, there must already be a list of candidates.”

“You stand correct, my dear friend. You shall personally interview them next evening, but for tonight: get some rest, it’s been a rough few days - especially for you. I’ll accompany you to your room and make sure that you’re safe.”

“Thank you, Chan, I really am so grateful for your existence.”

“It’s no problem, really. Just don’t forget to change into your nightly robes and clean your teeth before you slumber, close your curtains, both of them, and drink a glass of water before you sleep. We don’t want our king to be battling a horrid headache.”

“Alright mother hen! Let me leave.”


	2. A small addition

And so the next morning went by fleetingly, the young king's mind was still very much bemused from the happenings of the day before, the fragmented memories and slightly drunken countenance of his self had been surprising to say the least. As scatter brained as he was from time to time, this had been a very different case, Minho had even spent most of the halls dreamily instead of freshening himself up for the morning to get ready for the morning's tasks.

Though the memories themselves were scattered, Minho could distinctly remember that he had been crowned ceremoniously, there were several loud cheers from the enthusiastic supporters of his elder brother, as well as judging sneers from those who wrongly felt as though they should have deserved to be heir instead. Minho remembered that there were several sycophants who seemed to fall at his feet in hopes of getting the position as royal adviser, one of them being Lord Park. Oh how could he forget, the man had only become more ridiculous as time went by, he was glad that he was stern enough, even in his mildly intoxicated stupor, to reduce the man to dust. A small smile formed on his lips as he remembered how he was contacted via the looking glass at midnight by his most precious guards - Felix and Changbin- who were asking for permission to silence the whining vulture. Of course Minho agreed, even before they told him about their silencing methods - he could not care less about what torture method or device that they would choose. Though naive at times, Minho had the full capacity to be quite cruel lest he wish to.

" The stars are beautiful, though it's the daytime. Do you not agree, my lord?"

The familiar voice had startled Minho in his chair, it was the voice that he had been trying to avoid since dawn. The king sheepishly turned his attention from the window to the young servant standing beside him, looking obviously guilty. 

" Ah, Hyunjin my boy! How are you? I haven't seen you in aeons!" He stalled, nervous grin taking over his features as he stood up abruptly himself, body facing Hyunjin's as he mussed up the younger's hair. Hyunjin raised his eyebrow, unimpressed with the immature behaviour of his kingdom's new leader. He carefully removed himself from his liege's hold and adjusted his hair.

" You see me every morning my lord, tough not this morrow's strangely." Hyunjin teased, a knowing smirk on his face as he stealthily caged Minho to the window sill, his much larger body giving him an advantage, stopping the young royal from escaping. 

" I was simply roaming around the castle for a bit." Minho gave a defeated chuckle." Our battlements are very beautiful in the morning."

" Sire, my dearest lord and friend. You have no idea how long I have spent on a wild goose chase to find you, I had even contacted your looking glass and magic mirror, though nothing came of it."

" I must have forgotten it in my chamber...?" Minho questioned awkwardly, prying the taller's arms away from around him whilst also being cautious (in fear). Hyunjin looked at him unimpressed, as per usual, and let out a heavy and dramatic huff.

" That is it Minho, you really do test my patience - when I have little patience to begin with. You're really dancing on the edge of a volcano here, now accompany me to your clothing chambers this instant before I become your assassin."

" I sometimes wonder who the employer is in our deeply rooted relationship."

" _Highness_ _Lee Minho_ , newly crowned king of this whole damned empire, I order you to get ready for your day ahead as your close friend and attendant whom is deeply concerned about his best friend's lack of awareness for his own responsibility despite the fact that he must attend to his duties as newly crowned king as mentioned before." Hyunjin threatened, eyes widening in outrage at every word that flew by his mouth. Minho could only nod in response as he followed Hyunjin to his clothing chambers.

-

 

" What in the worlds is this?" Minho gawked, flapping his ironically unruly cape around him in an absolutely unseemly manner. His attendant thought this behaviour was akin to that of a flustered hen, though he chose very wisely not to comment on it.

Despite that, one must admit that the royal looked laughable, the dress makers had clearly had enough of the lord's particular tastes in clothing and thus had decided that he would be given incredibly archaic royal garments. He was given uncomfortably heavy silken robes that had hung well below his kneecaps; the embellishments were disconcertingly ghoulish grins, whom also so happened to be placed directly above the upper part of his torso.

(If his memory had not failed him, Minho was sure that this belonged to his great great great grandfather, and the thought made him shudder. He was buried in these robes, making Minho the wearer of the garments that a corpse essentially wore.)

In addition, his trousers were uncomfortably tight, but they were also conjoined with ancient footwear. They were even curled at the toes, mocking Minho's impish stature.

And Hyunjin chose to laugh. Hysterical.

" You..um....look formidable." The attendant wheezed, clearly out of suitable complements. Minho scowled, an eyebrow raised in discontent.

" In what sense does this look even remotely  _formidable_?" Minho questioned, voice going higher and higher in pitch and volume. He twirledtaround and around, trying to get rid of the robe beneath his feet. The dress makers and attendants giggled from behind him.

" This is what you get for being so stupidly picky with your garments Minho." Hyunjin retorted, voice sounding just as whiny as Minho's had previously been.

" But but.... Why these hideous things?!"

" As Hyunjin said, it's because we are absolutely tired of you and your  _'fashionable'_ tastes." Reprimanded a voice from behind the royal mirror. It was Seungmin, the chief dressmaker, a great friend whom also should not have become a friend in the first place. He had terrible manners, but that's how Minho had gotten to befriend him.

" I beg that you have a different set. It's so itchy." 

" Of course I do, silly bean"

" Please stop."

" As you wish."

-

 

There were several dozens of people waiting, lined up against the walls, nervous expressions evident on their faces. Amongst them was Jisung's, who was visibly much more tense then the others. But why would he not be? He was quite a bit less qualified than the other applicants. In fact, he didn't even want to be a royal bodyguard in the first place.

Just the previous day had he been involved in a rowdy fight with a bunch of rowdy bastards, hardly anything out of the ordinary in his life. But some aristocrat had seen this event, immediately whisking him away to the royal cottages. He recognised that aristocrat to be none other than Lord Bang, the royal advisor, and therefore made no attempt to retaliate lest he lose his head. Though he doubted that the man would even think to do such a thing; he had a kind of parental aura around him, and it was clear that he was fond of Jisung.

He couldn't deny that he was very much enticed by the pay that came along with the job, thus agreeing to be interviewed for the job. Though that may have been a mistake.

The people went by very quickly, some didn't even get to fully enter the room before they were blatantly rejected. 

It was very shocking.

" Han Jisung may enter now!" The royal attendant bellowed, his features still managing to be enviously handsome. Jisung's blood ran cold, but he proceeded to the chamber anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think in the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments if you can!


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